A Better Life

And what do you plan to do for a living, his mother liked to know.

Don't think you can live on our expenses any longer. Get your things and leave, I've had enough toil and sweat. Every penny spent on you is wasted. You have 1 hour and if you are not out of here you better beware! I'll take the keys now. The older man furiously grabbed the bunch with keys from the table. He was fed up with the shit his son did day in and day out. How did he do it? He lived on the couch staring at the TV or was in bed smelly like a rat in the trash while fiddling with his phone. He left the house without looking at his wife. The door closed after him with a loud bang.
That bastard. How much more and especially how long did he have to pay off all that lazy bastard's debts? Thirty-two was that lousy guy and he wouldn't fuck off. He wished he had thrown the spoiled brat away with the trash as a baby just like that mother had done in the column he read in the Saturday newspaper.

He took the tram on the square and got off kilometres later opposite a stately house. How many times had he come here for advice? How much had he paid that money-jacking lawyer for useless advice? He stood at the door in hesitation and turned around abruptly, not intending to pay for services that had not helped him one single time.
He wandered through the city without a destination in mind. It was a sunny day, everyone seemed cheerful. Was he the only one with a lousy, disappointing life, a son that suck all energy out of him?

He stood indecisive in front of a dilapidated pub. Would he go in? With the door handle in his hand, he read the note that was taped to it: Mover wanted - well paid.
He took a photo of the advertisement with his phone, perhaps...

Come inside.

The door swung open and the bar owner looked at him cheerfully. You're the first, I saw you. Interested in the job? What's your name?

He hesitated. It had been a long time since anyone was kind to him.
Jaap, he said shyly and shook the outstretched hand automatically. Before he knew it, he was sitting at the table with a wonderfully smelling dish of food in front of him.

Enjoy your meal. You need to eat well before you start working.

Mover, it was the last profession he ever thought of. The world suddenly seemed a lot sunnier. He would travel, meet other people and even go abroad. Thoughts of a different life, a new beginning flew through his mind. Xav, his new employer said nothing but seemed to read his mind when he said: The job is open, the choice is yours. You don't have to go back, you can start over and leave everything behind. Where would you like to go?

Back in time, I wasted my life. Another chance would be nice. It briefly crossed his mind whether he would have the same knowledge as today.

It's time to go. Let's load all those boxes, at least if you're sure.

He nodded, somewhat afraid but he also didn't want to embrace the opportunity to make a new start, admitted he felt relieved to leave all the luggage of his miserable life behind him.

_source

The boxes seemed vaguely familiar to him insofar as boxes differed from each other. One by one he carried them to the moving van that was parked at the back of the pub. The men worked together in silence and with each box that disappeared into the truck Jaap felt a little lighter, less burdened, confused and disappointed in the life he had lived so far.

Once everything was packed and the sunset coloured the sky, Xav showed the destination on the map by the light of a left candle. The pub looked empty but far from scary. Although the candlelight flickered against the weathered walls and there would certainly be people who would consider this spooky it made him feel good. The candle was the last light he saw before he would close the book of his burdened life. This was the last time he would see the old, run-down pub that had changed his life, a forgotten place without living souls which had saved his day within 24 hours.

He no longer thought about the family he left behind. His wife, the ungrateful son, both would have to manage without him from now on. The lawyer could forget about his money, just like his son's many creditors. Life was waiting for him, a better life after all the years of suffering.

He smiled as he drove the van out of the street through the city. He had never felt lighter and the fact he didn't know what the past would look like didn't bother him. Take your time Xav said, enjoy the ride you'll see the light soon enough.

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Prompt: A better life - @freewritehouse + story 850 words see here
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